Heel prosthesis for shoe slip-off prevention

ABSTRACT

A heel prosthesis is disclosed. In one embodiment, the heel prosthesis comprises a back portion, a bottom portion, a first lateral portion, and a second lateral portion. The back portion, the bottom portion, the first lateral portion, and the second lateral portion form a concave receptacle that is configured to adhere to or clip onto a heel of a person.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the priority benefit from U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 62/911,263, filed Oct. 5, 2019, the entire contents anddisclosures of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure relates generally to techniques for preventingshoe slip-offs and, more particularly, to a heel prosthesis thatprevents shoe slip-offs.

BACKGROUND

Shoes without laces or straps, especially those with large openings orlow-cut vamps (e.g., pumps, stilettos, slip-ons, loafers, etc.), requirea person's heels to fit well into the heel counter of the shoes toprevent the shoes from slipping off while the person is walking,running, or performing other types of activities. However, the size andshape of the calcaneus (also known as the heel bone) and the muscle andfat surrounding the calcaneus vary significantly from individual toindividual. Consequently, not all persons, whose feet are measured tocorrespond to the same size of a given pair of shoes, will have theirheels fit snuggly into the heel counter and some may likely suffer fromthe shoes slipping off during walking, running, or other types ofactivities.

This problem is exemplified by the scenarios illustrated in FIGS. 1A and1B. FIG. 1A illustrates a person A wearing a shoe 100. The shoe 100 isshown as a woman's pump for mere illustration. It is understood that theproblem described herein applies to any shoe that has a wide collar,like collar 102 of shoe 100. Shoe 100 has a heel counter 104. As isconventional with most shoes, the heel counter 104 bulges outwards inorder to provide a cavity inside of the shoe 100 to accommodate anaverage person's heel. In FIG. 1A, the person A's heel is illustrated ashaving a fulsome heel curve 110, which substantially occupies the innercavity provided by the heel counter 104. As a result, when the personA's heel moves in an upward direction during walking, running, orotherwise, the person A's heel locks into the inner cavity and lifts theback portion of the shoe 100 in the upward direction. In this scenario,the person A is not concerned about the shoe 100 slipping off.Essentially, the heel is fulsome enough to provide an interlockingeffect with the shoe, which is similar to the bottleneck effect when anobject is inserted in a bottle with a neck that is slightly less widethan the object. It is understood that, although FIG. 1A is atwo-dimensional representation, it is the overall three-dimensionalshape of a person's heel that provides the interlocking effect. The morea heel fills the inner cavity, the better is the interlocking effect andthe less likely is a shoe going to slip off.

On the other hand, FIG. 1B illustrates a person B wearing the same shoe100 as the person A. Unlike the person A, the person B has a heel curve112 that is substantially flatter (i.e., less fulsome) than the personA's heel curve 110. As a result, the person B's heel does not adequatelyfill in the inner cavity provided by the heel counter 104 of the shoe100. And, when the person B's heel moves in an upward direction whenwalking, running, or otherwise, the person B's heel does not provide theinterlocking effect to lift the back portion of the shoe 100. Clearly,the shoe 100 slips off from the person B's foot. Such slip-offs areundesirable and uncomfortable.

Slip-off is an issue regardless of the brand, quality, or price of theshoes. Wearers try to prevent slip-offs by making shoes tighter by, forexample, choosing shoes of smaller size (by one size or a half-size whenavailable) or adding insoles, inserts, or heel liners. However, theseapproaches do not always stop slip-offs and typically add more frictionand pressure, thereby introducing discomfort that may be worse thanslip-offs (e.g., abrasions to and soreness of the Achilles tendon, toes,etc.). On the other hand, shoemakers try use an elastic topline orcollar to prevent slip-off. This, however, adds pressure to the Achillestendon and other areas of the foot, does not necessarily preventslip-offs, and limits the design of shoes.

In view of the foregoing, it may be understood that there is a need fortechniques to prevent shoes from slipping off.

SUMMARY OF DISCLOSURE

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a heel prosthesis isdisclosed. The heel prosthesis may comprise a back portion, a bottomportion, a first lateral portion, and a second lateral portion. The backportion, the bottom portion, the first lateral portion, and the secondlateral portion may form a concave receptacle that is configured toadhere to or clip onto a heel of a person.

In accordance with other aspects of this one embodiment, the backportion may have a thickness profile that causes the back portion tobulge outwards from the concave receptacle.

In accordance with other aspects of this one embodiment, the firstlateral portion may have a thickness profile that causes the firstlateral portion to bulge outwards from the concave receptacle.

In accordance with other aspects of this one embodiment, the secondlateral portion may have a thickness profile that causes the secondlateral portion to bulge outwards from the concave receptacle.

In accordance with other aspects of this one embodiment, the heelprosthesis may be made of at least one of a polysiloxane, a polymer, ora polyamide.

In accordance with other aspects of this one embodiment, a surface ofthe concave receptacle may be lined with an adhesive material.

In accordance with other aspects of this one embodiment, the adhesivematerial may be one of a pressure-sensitive adhesive, a heat-activatedadhesive, or a moisture-activated adhesive.

In accordance with other aspects of this one embodiment, the adhesivematerial may be at least one of removable, reusable, or washable.

In accordance with other aspects of this one embodiment, an overallthickness of the first lateral portion may be greater than an overallthickness of the second lateral portion.

In accordance with other aspects of this one embodiment, an overallthickness of the first lateral portion may be smaller than an overallthickness of the second lateral portion.

In another embodiment of the present disclosure, an article of footwearis disclosed. The article of footwear may comprise a back portion, abottom portion, a first lateral portion, and a second lateral portion.The back portion, the bottom portion, the first lateral portion, and thesecond lateral portion may form a concave receptacle that is configuredto adhere to or clip onto a heel of a person.

In accordance with other aspects of this other embodiment, the backportion may have a thickness profile that causes the back portion tobulge outwards from the concave receptacle.

In accordance with other aspects of this another embodiment, the firstlateral portion may have a thickness profile that causes the firstlateral portion to bulge outwards from the concave receptacle.

In accordance with other aspects of this other embodiment, the secondlateral portion may have a thickness profile that causes the secondlateral portion to bulge outwards from the concave receptacle.

In accordance with other aspects of this other embodiment, the articleof footwear may be made of at least one of a polysiloxane, a polymer, ora polyamide.

In accordance with other aspects of this other embodiment, a surface ofthe concave receptacle may be lined with an adhesive material.

In accordance with other aspects of this other embodiment, the adhesivematerial may be one of a pressure-sensitive adhesive, a heat-activatedadhesive, or a moisture-activated adhesive.

In accordance with other aspects of this other embodiment, the adhesivematerial may be at least one of removable, reusable, or washable.

In accordance with other aspects of this other embodiment, an overallthickness of the first lateral portion may be greater than an overallthickness of the second lateral portion.

In accordance with other aspects of this other embodiment, an overallthickness of the first lateral portion may be smaller than an overallthickness of the second lateral portion.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order to facilitate the understanding of the present disclosure,reference is now made to the accompanying drawings. These drawingsshould not be construed as limiting the present disclosure, but areintended to be illustrative only.

FIG. 1A illustrates a shoe non-slip-off scenario.

FIG. 1B illustrates a shoe slip-off scenario.

FIG. 2 illustrates a shoe slip-off prevention scenario according to anembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3A is a perspective view of a heel prosthesis according to anembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3B is a front view of a heel prosthesis according to an embodimentof the present disclosure.

FIG. 3C is a back view of a heel prosthesis according to an embodimentof the present disclosure.

FIG. 3D is a side view of a heel prosthesis according to an embodimentof the present disclosure.

FIG. 3E is a cross-sectional view of a heel prosthesis according to anembodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Described herein is a heel prosthesis that prevents shoe slip-off. Theheel prosthesis may modify the shape of a person's heels rather thanchanging the size of the shoe or shape of the shoe cavities. The heelprosthesis may adhere to or clip onto a person's heel and may providethe needed interlocking effect to lock the person's foot in a shoe toprevent slip-off. The heel prosthesis may add volume to a person's heelsand may fill up the cavity provided by a heel counter of a shoe withouttaking any additional room elsewhere within the shoe.

FIG. 2 illustrates a shoe slip-off prevention scenario according to anembodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 illustrates the same personB as in FIG. 1B wearing the same shoe 100. In this scenario, however,the person B has a heel prosthesis 200 adhered to or clipped onto herheel. The heel prosthesis 200 fills up the inner cavity between theperson B's heel and the heel counter 104, and provides the necessaryinterlocking effect to prevent the shoe 100 from slipping off. It isimportant to point out that, if the same heel prosthesis 200 wereadhered or attached to the inner lining of the shoe 100 to fill up theinner cavity, the heel prosthesis 200 may create some friction with theperson B's heel but may not prevent the person B's heel from slippingoff the shoe 100. In FIG. 2, the heel prosthesis 200 is shown to coverto the back of the person B's heel (i.e., at the heel curve 112) forease of illustration. It is understood that the heel prosthesis 200 maycover portions of the sides and bottom of the person B's heel toeffectively create a fulsome heel that fully occupies the inner cavityof the shoe 100.

FIG. 3A is a perspective view of a heel prosthesis 300 according to anembodiment of the present disclosure. The mesh rendering is only tofacilitate visualization of the three-dimensional shape of the heelprosthesis 300. The heel prosthesis 300 comprises a back portion 302, abottom portion 304, a first lateral portion 306, and a second lateralportion 308. The combination of the back portion 302, the bottom portion304, the first lateral portion 306, and the second lateral portion 308forms a concave receptacle that may accommodate a heel of a person. Inone embodiment, the heel prosthesis 300 may be made of a material thatis stiff enough (e.g., a plastic polymer such as acrylonitrile butadienestyrene, etc.) for the concave receptable to clip onto the heel of theperson due to the somewhat partially spherical shape of the heel. Inanother embodiment, the entire heel prosthesis 300 or the surface of theconcave receptacle may be made out of a material that adheres to humanskin (e.g., an adhesive polymer) such that the heel prosthesis 300adheres to a person's heel when placed into contact with the heel. Inyet another embodiment, a reusable, removable, and/or washable adhesivematerial (e.g., nano gel, polyurethane double-sided adhesive tape, bodyadhesive, etc.) may be applied to the surface of the concave receptaclesuch that the prosthesis 300 adheres to a person's heel. The bottomportion 304 is illustrated as having a V-shape front edge, which bendsinwards along the central plane of the heel prosthesis 300. In someembodiment, the extent to which the bottom portion 304 bends inward maybe varied. For example, the bottom portion 304 may be manufactured tobend more or less inwards to respectively cover more or less of thebottom portion of a person's heel. More of the bottom portion 304 may beprovided when additional heel cushion is desired.

FIG. 3B is a front view of the heel prosthesis 300 according to anembodiment of the present disclosure. The heel prosthesis 300 isillustrated as being symmetrical about the central vertical plane of theheel prosthesis 300. In some embodiment, the heel prosthesis 300 may bemanufactured to be asymmetrical—i.e., the first lateral portion 306 andthe second lateral portion 308 may be made of different sizes and shapesto account for asymmetry between a person's right and left feet. Forexample, for a left heel, the first lateral portion 306 may be madesmaller, thinner, and/or shorter than the second lateral portion 308and, for a right heel, the first lateral portion 306 may be made bigger,thicker, and/or longer than the second lateral portion 308.Alternatively, for a left heel, the first lateral portion 306 may bemade bigger, thicker, and/or longer than the second lateral portion 308and, for a right heel, the first lateral portion 306 may be madesmaller, thinner, and/or shorter than the second lateral portion 308.

FIG. 3C is a back view of the heel prosthesis 300 according to anembodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 3C illustrates the backportion 302 as bulging outwards (i.e., perpendicular to the plane of thepage of FIG. 3C), the first lateral portion 306 as bulging to the right,and the second lateral portion 308 as bulging to the left. The overallbulging shape of the heel prosthesis 300, when adhered to or clippedonto a person's heel thus enhances the fulsomeness of the person's heelto provide the necessary interlocking effect to prevent a shoe fromslipping off the person's foot. The heel prosthesis 300 may bemanufactured such that the extent to which the back portion 302, thefirst lateral portion 306, and the second lateral portion 308 bulgeoutwards may be varied. In some embodiment, the bulging extents of thefirst lateral portion 306 and the second lateral portion 308 may bemanufactured to be unequal. For example, the first lateral portion 306may be manufactured to bulge outwards more or less than the secondlateral portion 308.

FIG. 3D is a side view of the heel prosthesis 300 according to anembodiment of the present disclosure. The side view is looking at theheel prosthesis 300 from the first lateral portion 306. The outwardbulge of the back portion 302 is once again illustrated. FIG. 3Dillustrates that the bottom portion 304 is substantially flat relativeto the back portion 302, the first lateral portion 306, and the secondlateral portion 308. In some embodiment, the bottom portion 304 may bemanufactured to also bulge outwards (i.e., vertically downwards in FIG.3D) in order to help to increase the fulsomeness of a person's heel tofurther improve the slip-off prevention. In FIG. 3D, the first lateralportion 306 is shown to be of a shape that may cover a substantiallateral portion of a person's heel. In some embodiment, the firstlateral portion 306—and similarly for the second lateral portion 308—maybe manufactured to cover more or less of lateral portion of a person'sheel. For example, the first lateral portion 306 or the second lateralportion 308 may be manufactured to taper more or less from the topmostpoint of the back portion 302 towards the frontmost point of the bottomportion 304.

FIG. 3E is a cross-sectional view of the heel prosthesis 300 accordingto an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 3E illustrates a crosssection 310 along the central vertical plane of the heel prosthesis 300.The cross section 310 illustrates a thickness profile that the heelprosthesis 300 may add to a person's heel to provide the necessaryinterlocking effect to prevent slip-off. As shown in FIG. 3E, thethickness profile tapers off at the edges of the heel prosthesis 300.The first lateral portion 306 and the second lateral portion 308 mayhave similar thickness profiles. The heel prosthesis 300 may bemanufactured such that the cross section 310 is more or less thickaround the back portion 302 or the bottom portion 304. For example, athicker cross section 310 would be desired for a person with a flat heel(e.g., person B in FIGS. 1B and 2). In some embodiment, the thickness ofthe bottom portion 304 may be desired be minimal to improve the comfortfor the person to or onto whose heel the heel prosthesis 300 is adheredor clipped.

The heel prosthesis 300 may be made of a polysiloxane (e.g., silicone),a polymer (e.g., urethane, polyurethane, polyurethane elastomers,plastic polymers, etc.), a polyamide (natural or synthetic), or acombination of these materials. As described above, the concavereceptacle of the heel prosthesis 300 may be made of or lined with anadhesive material (e.g., an adhesive polymer) during manufacturing.Alternatively, an adhesive material (e.g., nano gel, polyurethanedouble-sided adhesive tape, body adhesive, etc.) may be applied to thesurface of the concave receptacle after manufacturing and before beingworn. In either case, the adhesive material may be a pressure-sensitiveadhesive, a heat-activated adhesive, or a moisture-activated adhesive.

A person may adhere the heel prosthesis 300 to or clip the heelprosthesis 300 onto her or his heel before inserting his or her footinto a shoe. Importantly, no sock or other similar garment or means isneeded to hold the heel prosthesis 300 in place, although a sock orother similar garment (e.g., legging, tights, etc.) may be worn on topof the heel prosthesis 300. The heel prosthesis 300 may not only preventslip-off but also increase comfort by reducing rubbing of the heeland/or the foot against inner surfaces of the shoe. In some embodiment,the heel prosthesis 300 may take the shape of the person's heel and/orthe shape of the shoe over time.

The heel prosthesis 300 may be manufactured in different sizes (e.g.,based on a person's foot size or age). Additionally, for each size, theheel prosthesis 300 may be manufactured to be available in differentthicknesses (e.g., small, medium, or large). Thus, people, who may needmore toe room or instep space, may choose slightly looser shoes (e.g.,one size or a half-size up) and rely on the heel prosthesis 300 toprevent the shoes from slipping off. Essentially, the heel prosthesis300 allows a pair of shoes to fit more people without slipping off.

The present disclosure is not limited in scope by the specificembodiments described herein. Other various embodiments of andmodifications to the present disclosure, in addition to those describedherein, will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art from theforegoing description and accompanying drawings. Thus, such otherembodiments and modification are intended to fall with the scope of thepresent disclosure. Further, although the present disclosure has beendescribed herein in the context of at least one particularimplementation in at least one particular environment for at least oneparticular purpose, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognizethat its usefulness is not limited thereto and that the presentdisclosure may be beneficially implemented in any number of environmentsfor any number of purposes.

What is claimed is:
 1. A heel prosthesis, comprising: a back portion; abottom portion; a first lateral portion; and a second lateral portion,wherein the back portion, the bottom portion, the first lateral portion,and the second lateral portion form a concave receptacle that isconfigured to adhere to or clip onto a heel of a person.
 2. The heelprosthesis of claim 1, wherein the back portion has a thickness profilethat causes the back portion to bulge outwards from the concavereceptacle.
 3. The heel prosthesis of claim 1, wherein the first lateralportion has a thickness profile that causes the first lateral portion tobulge outwards from the concave receptacle.
 4. The heel prosthesis ofclaim 1, wherein the second lateral portion has a thickness profile thatcauses the second lateral portion to bulge outwards from the concavereceptacle.
 5. The heel prosthesis of claim 1, wherein the heelprosthesis is made of at least one of a polysiloxane, a polymer, or apolyamide.
 6. The heel prosthesis of claim 5, wherein a surface of theconcave receptacle is lined with an adhesive material.
 7. The heelprosthesis of claim 6, wherein the adhesive material is one of apressure-sensitive adhesive, a heat-activated adhesive, or amoisture-activated adhesive.
 8. The heel prosthesis of claim 6, whereinthe adhesive material is at least one of removable, reusable, orwashable.
 9. The heel prosthesis of claim 1, wherein an overallthickness of the first lateral portion is greater than an overallthickness of the second lateral portion.
 10. The heel prosthesis ofclaim 1, wherein an overall thickness of the first lateral portion issmaller than an overall thickness of the second lateral portion.
 11. Anarticle of footwear, comprising: a back portion; a bottom portion; afirst lateral portion; and a second lateral portion, wherein the backportion, the bottom portion, the first lateral portion, and the secondlateral portion form a concave receptacle that is configured to adhereto or clip onto a heel of a person.
 12. The article of footwear of claim11, wherein the back portion has a thickness profile that causes theback portion to bulge outwards from the concave receptacle.
 13. Thearticle of footwear of claim 11, wherein the first lateral portion has athickness profile that causes the first lateral portion to bulgeoutwards from the concave receptacle.
 14. The article of footwear ofclaim 11, wherein the second lateral portion has a thickness profilethat causes the second lateral portion to bulge outwards from theconcave receptacle.
 15. The article of footwear of claim 11, wherein thearticle of footwear is made of at least one of a polysiloxane, apolymer, or a polyamide.
 16. The article of footwear of claim 15,wherein a surface of the concave receptacle is lined with an adhesivematerial.
 17. The article of footwear of claim 16, wherein the adhesivematerial is one of a pressure-sensitive adhesive, a heat-activatedadhesive, or a moisture-activated adhesive.
 18. The article of footwearof claim 16, wherein the adhesive material is at least one of removable,reusable, or washable.
 19. The article of footwear of claim 11, whereinan overall thickness of the first lateral portion is greater than anoverall thickness of the second lateral portion.
 20. The article offootwear of claim 11, wherein an overall thickness of the first lateralportion is smaller than an overall thickness of the second lateralportion.